Improvement in washing-machines



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE LEAOH, OF UNION, NEW YORK.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 120,286, dated October24, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, GEORGE LEAGH, of Union, in the county of Broome andState of New York, have invented an Improved Vashing-lvlachine, of whichthe following is a specification:

My improvement consists of a rotating cylinder inclosed within a tightcase, said cylinder being constructed with solid ends connected by aseries of longitudinal bars of diamond or rhomboidal shape, provided intheir inner sides with pins or knobs pointing inwardly, and the spacebetween said bars being composed of slats of diamond shape in section,with intervals or spaces of corresponding size, said slats and bars withthe alternating spaces forming the sides of the cylinder.

As represented in the drawing, Figure l is a transverse sectionalelevation and Fig. 2 a longitudinal eleva-tion of my apparatus, inwhich- A is the case and B the cylinder, the ends of which are connectedby the diamond bars g g and slats o 0,'and have journals c c running inboxes attached to the ends of the case. One end of the cylinder isprovided with an annular gear, d, with which the driving-pinion emeshes. Motion is given to the latter by the crank f, or in any othersuitable manner. The disks forming the ends of the cylinder have each asegment, b, cut from them, which, being hinged or otherwise secured toadmit of opening or closing the cylinder, enables the clothes to beinserted and removed. A furnace or stove, G, and boiler H, furnishsteam, which is inducted by` the pipe j into the case at the bottom forheating and boiling the suds and clothes, and a pipe, k, leads the vaporfroim the cylinder into the stove to prevent it from escaping into theroom.

The operation is as follows: The soiled clothes are placedin,the'cylinder B, the case or reservoir A partiallyp'jvith" suds,either hot or heated by the steam, when motion is given to the cylinderby the crank in the direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 1. rIhismotion, being in the direction of the inclined slots t' i between the`bars and slats, forces the suds to enter the cylinder and remain withthe clothes so long as the rotation con-l tinues, leaving the casenearly empty, while the.

clothes are constantly agitated and changing position by means of theinternal pins l l, Which convey them up and allow them to fall by theirweight at each revolution, which pounds them and creates great friction.After a few turns in this direction the motion is reversed, when theeffect is just the opposite, causing the water to leave the interior andcrowd into the case out side of it. The alternation of the motion bysuccessively saturating the clothes with the suds and expelling itmechanically produces the same result as by hand rubbing and squeezing.

For ordinary family use the boiler may be dispensed with and the waterand suds heated before being placed in the reservoir.

The machine is simple, cheap, and effective, while it is operated withthe greatest ease.

I claim as my invention- The cylinder B with sides formed of thediamond-shaped slats o o and bars g g with internal projections Z Z, incombination with the inclosingreservoir A and gearing d e, with orwithout the connected boiler H, substantially as and for the purposesset forth.

GEORGE LEACH.

